Method and apparatus for making laminated panels of polystyrene foam and aluminum



Nov. 12, 1968 w. s. JOHNSON 3,410,931

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING LAMINATED PANELS OF POLYSTYRENE FOAM AND ALUMINUM Filed Oct. 11 1963 19 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ,WILBERT s. JOHNSON ATTORNEY FIGJ Nov. 12, 1968 w. s. JOHNSON 3 410,931

, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING LAMINATED PANELS OF POLYSIYRENE FOAM AND ALUMINUM Filed Oct. 11, 1965 19 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2

INVENTOR.

AT TORNE Y //}WILBERT s. JOHNSON Nov. 12, 1968 w. s. JOHNSON 3,410,931

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING LAMINATED PANELS OF POLYSTYBENE FOAM AND ALUMINUM Filed Oct. 11, 1963 19 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 3

INVENTOR.

WILBERT JOHNSON gwm ATTORNEY Nov. 12, 1968 w. s. JOHNSON 3,410,931

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING LAMINATED PANELS OF POLYSTYRENE FOAM AND ALUMINUM Filed Oct. 11, 1963 3,9 Sheets-Sheet 4.

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METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING LAMINATED PANELS OF POLYSTYHENE FOAM AND ALUMINUM Filed Oct. 11, 1963 l9 Sheets-Sheet 6 FIG.8

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METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING LAMINATED PANELS OF POLYSTYRENE FOAM AND ALUMINUM Filed Oct. 11, 1963 19 Sheets-Sheet 7 I I I I .1 90 L I I l I F I G. I I

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ATTORNEY WILBERT s. JOHNSON Lx Nov. 12, 1968 w. s. JOHNSON 3,410,931

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ATTORNEY Nov. 12, 1968 w. s JOHNSON 3,410,931

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING LAMINATED PANELS OF POLYSTYRENE FOAM AND ALUMINUM Filed Oct. 11, 1963 19 Sheets-Sheet 9 INVENTORL WILBERT S. JOHNSON ATTORNEY Nov. 12, 1968 w. s. JOHNSON 3,410,931

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING LAMINATED PANELS OF POLYSTYRENE FOAM AND ALUMINUM Filed Oct. 11, 1963 19 Sheets-Sheet l0 INVENTOR. WILBERT s. JOHNSON AT TORNE Y Nov. 12, 1968 w. s. JOHNSON METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING LAMINATED POLYSTYRENE FOAM AND ALUMINUM FiledOct. 11, 1963 INVENTOR.

WILBERT S. JOHNSON FIG. I7

ATTORNEY Nov. 12, 1968 w. s. JOHNSON 3,410,931

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING LAMINATED PANELS OF POLYSTYHENE FOAM AND ALUMINUM Filed Oct. 11, 1963 19 Sheets-Sheet l2 FIG. 20

WILBERT S. JOHNSON AT TORNE Y Nov. 12, 1968 W. s. JOHNSON 3,410,931

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING LAMINATED PANELS OF POLYSTYRENE FOAM AND ALUMINUM Filed Oct. 11, 1963 19 Sheets-Sheet 15 FIG. 2!

INVENTOR. WILBEFPT S. JOHNSON BY gmwwf ATTORNEY Nov. 12, 1968 w. s. JOHNSON 3,410,931

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING LAMINATED PANELS OF POLYSTYRENE FOAM AND ALUMINUM Filed Oct. 11, 1963 19 Sheets-Sheet 14 582 i 23 LW 23 INVENTOR WILBERT S. JOHNSON BY ww?wM ATTORNEY Nov. 12, 1968 w. s. JOHNSON 3,410,931 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING LAMINATED PANELS OF FOL YSTYRENE FOAM AND ALUMINUM 19 Sheets-Sheet 15 Filed Oct. 11, 1963 FIG; 25

EINVENTOR. A WILBERT s. JOHNSON BY ATTORNEY FIG. 24

Nov. 12, 1968 w. s. JOHNSON 3,410,931

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING LAMINATED PANELS OF POLYSTYRENE FOAM AND ALUMINUM Filed Oct. I1, 1963 19 Sheets-Sheet l6 INVENTOR. WILBERT S. JOHNSON ATTORNEY Nov. 12, 1968 w. s. JOHNSON 3,410,931

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING LAMINATED PANELS OF POLYSTYRENE FOAM AND ALUMINUM Filed Oct. 11, 1963 l9 Sheets-Sheet 1? III vFIG. 27

m I mvamom WILBERT s. JOHNSON ATTORNEY Nov. 12, 1968 w. s'. JOHNSON 3,410,931

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING LAMINATED PANELS 0F POLYSTYRENE FOAM AND ALUMINUM Filed Oct. 11, 1965 19 Sh eets-Sheet 18 Ejzos F I G. 29

INVENTOR.

MULBERT S.JOHNSON zg mg mm ATTORNEY Nov. 12, 1968 w. s. JOHNSON 3,410,931

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING LAMINATED PANELS OF POLYSTYRENE FOAM AND ALUMINUM Filed Oct. 11, 1963 19 Sheets-Sheet l9 INVENTOR. WILBERT S. JOHNSON ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,410,931 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING LAMINATED PANELS 0F POLYSTYRENE FOAM AND ALUMINUM Wilbert S. Johnson, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Alside, Inc., a corporation of Ohio Filed Oct. 11, 1963, Ser. No. 315,511 4 Claims. (Cl. 264-45) (A) SUBJECT MATTER This invention relates to the art of manufacturing laminated panel sections and in particular relates to a" method and apparatus for making a foamed polymeric block of panel shape that has its major planar surfaces covered with sheets of aluminum that are bonded in place thereon during foaming.

(B) USE (C) PRIOR ART With reference to the manufacture of panel structures that utilize a core of foamed polymeric materials such as polystyrene, it has been known in such art that such core materials can be made by pouring polymeric material in its preexpanded form into a closed mold cavity followed by the application of steam against said preexpanded material to result in rapid expansion thereof into a rigid structure that possesses high insulation properties.

Representative patents showing the state of such art are: Edberg, US. Patent 3,042,967, issued July 10, 1963; Brockhause et al., US. Patent 3,042,973, issued July 10, 1963; Merz, US. Patent 2,806,812, issued Sept. 17, 1957; Pace, US. Patent 2,744,042, issued May 1, 1956; Wilson, US. Patent 2,674,775, issued Apr. 13, 1954; Lubenow, US. Patent 2,661,496, issued Dec. 8, 1953.

While the prior art above enumerated teaches basic foaming techniques, it has been discovered that panels of the type desired can be achieved on a production basis by incorporating several improvements into the above prior art teachings.

Specifically, it has been found that if the steaming pipes are permitted to remain in place during the entire operation, a core of more uniform density will be obtained. In the prior art, and particularly in the Edberg patent above enumerated, the probing units are withdrawn during manufacture, with the result that the voids created by such withdrawal are only incompletely filled with the bead material, with the result that the density of the core in the region wherein the probe has been withdrawn is less than the over-all density. Such a condition results frequently in buckling of the skin material.

It has been further found important to carefully prepare the mold walls that will receive the aluminum skin members, with these mold walls being covered first with an insulating liner of reinforcing material such as Glastic 1 that is in turn covered with a thin film of an epoxy material such as Kemak. 2

Glastic is a trademark of the Glastic Corporation and designates a fiberglass reinforced polyester liner material.

'-Ke1nak is a registered trademark of Sherwin-Williams Corporation to designate an epoxy resin that dries to a machine tool finish.

3,410,931 Patented Nov. 12, 1968 The purpose of the insulating material above captioned is to prevent the aluminum skin member from dissipating heat into the relatively cold mold wall so that the skin will have a high enough temperature to properly bond to the expanded bead material. Stated otherwise, the glue line (the point of bonding between the skins and the beads) must be at the proper temperature to reactivate the bonding material that has been provided on the skins. Accordingly, if provision were not made to insulate the mold wall, there would be insufiicient temperature at the glue line.

With reference to the epoxy film, it is apparent that the same is provided for the purpose of presenting a lowfriction surface so that the aluminum skin may accordingly thermally expand during heating without buckling, with the epoxy permitting the aluminum skin to slide relatively of the mold surface while retaining its planar position, with such sliding occurring notwithstanding the tremendous forces that are applied by the beads to force the aluminum skin against the mold wall.

With the above improvements, it has been found that perfect panels can be achieved on a production basis.

(D) OBJECTS Development of a method and apparatus for producing such laminated panels on a mass production, repetitive type basis accordingly becomes the principal object of this invention, with other objects of this invention becoming more apparent upon a consideration of the following specification, considered and interpreted in the light of the accompanying drawings.

(E) DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Of the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic layout of the production line equipment utilized in the manufacture of the improved laminated panel.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the improved panel making machine and the loading apparatus therefor.

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the mechanism shown in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a vertical elevation taken on the lines 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a vertical section taken on the lines 55 of FIGURE 4, and showing the loading mechanism in end elevation.

FIGURES 6, 7, 8 and 9 are schematic views showing various positions of the aluminum skin members during loading into the paneling machine.

FIGURE 10 is a schematic sectional view taken on the lines 1010 of FIGURE 2, and showing details with reference to the improved vacuum loader.

FIGURE 11 is a view similar to that of FIGURE 10, but showing the aluminum skin members being carried by the vacuum loader and entering the appropriate curing mold of the panel making machine that is positioned at the load station.

FIGURE 12 is a view similar to FIGURES l0 and 11, but showing the vacuum loader entering the appropriate curing mold of the panel making machine that is positioned at the loading station.

FIGURE 13 is a view similar to FIGURE 12, but showing the vacuum loader expanded against the walls of the curing mold for positioning of the aluminum skins against the opposed wall of the curing mold.

FIGURE 14 is a view similar to FIGURE 13 but showing the vacuum loader being collapsed and being withdrawn from the curing mold.

FIGURE 15 is a section taken on the lines 15-15 of FIGURE 4 and showing details of the vacuum loading means.

FIGURE 16 is a perspective, partly broken away and 

1. A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A WALL PANEL DEFINED BY A BLOCK OF EXPANDED POLYSTYRENE BEAD MATERIAL HAVING THE ADHESIVE COATED FACES OF OPPOSED THIN ALUMINUM SHEETS ATTACHED TO OPPOSED FACES THEREOF, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: (A) PROGRESSIVELY ADVANCING A SERIES OF THIN ALUMINUM SKIN MEMBERS THROUGH SURFACE TREATING EQUIPMENT THAT PREPARES ONE SURFACE OF EACH SAID SKIN; (B) BAKING A PRIME PAINT COAT ON SAID PREPARED SURFACE; (C) REMOVING SAID PRIME SKIN MEMBERS FROM SAID FIRST CONVEYOR AND FLIPPING THE SAME 180* ONTO A SECOND ALIGNED CONVEYOR SO AS TO PRESENT THE UNTREATED SURFACE THEREOF IN ACCESSIBLE POSITION; (D) PROVIDING AN ADHESIVE COATING ON SAID NOW ACCESSIBLE SURFACE AND COOLING THE SAME TO NON-TACKY CONDITION; (E) SHIFTING PAIRS OF IDENTICAL SIZED SKINS INTO UPRIGHT PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER WITH SAD ADHESIVE COATED FACES FACING EACH OTHER N SPACED RELATIONSHIP; (F) SURROUNDING SAID SPACED SKINS WITH A MOLD TO DEFINE A HOLLOW CAVITY, THE OPPOSED PLANAR WALLS OF WHICH ARE DEFINED BY SAID ADHESIVE COATED SURFACE OF SAID SKIN; (G) FILLING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID HOLLOW CHAMBER WITH EXPANDABLE POLYSTYRENE BEAD MATERIAL; (H) CLOSING SAID CHAMBER TO ATMOSPHERE AND EXPANDING SAID ENVELOPED EXPANDABLE POLYSTYRENE INTO FULLY EXPANDED CONDITION WITHIN SAID CHAMBER BY USE OF HEAT SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TO FULLY EXPAND SAID POLYSTYRENE WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY REACTIVATING SAID ADHESIVE COAT WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY REACTIVATING SAID ADHESIVE COAT WHEREBY SAID EXPANDED POLYSTYRENE IS BONDED TO SAID SKINS AT THE POINT OF CONTACT THEREBETWEEN; (I) REMOVING SAID LAMINATED PANEL FROM SAID MOLDING APPARATUS. 